Lindsay Clancy, who is charged with murdering her children, is defended by her mother who described her as loving.

Published on: Aug 17, 2026, 22:48:34 IST

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The defense on Monday commenced its presentation in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, a mother from Duxbury, Massachusetts, who is charged with the murder of her three children.

Paula Musgrove, Clancy's mother, struggled to hold back tears while addressing the jury, expressing her deep love for her grandchildren "with all her heart." She portrayed her daughter as a "loving mother" who "would do anything for her children."

On October 20, 2022, Clancy sent a text to her mother, Paula Musgrove, stating, "I'm really sick," just three months prior to the tragic incident where Clancy took the lives of her children.

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Lindsay Clancy's mom Paula Musgrove testifies

1. Musgrove recounted this text message to the jury while also describing Clancy as a wonderful and loving mother. “Mom will you please come up and stay with me for a bit,” the message read. “I’m really sick. Something is wrong. I have horrible insomnia all night and I just don’t know how I’m going to get through the day.”
2. "I started taking medicine my doctor prescribed for anxiety and I think it’s made things worse. It’s just really scared and I don’t want to be alone," Clancy wrote. “Yes, I’ll come today,” Musgrove responded. “I’ll be there late morning, ok?"
3. Musgrove stated that she promptly went to Duxbury, where she remained for approximately a week. She mentioned that her daughter's health did not get better as the holiday season drew near. By January 2023, Musgrove reported that her daughter had lost significant weight and was exhibiting signs of paranoia.
4. “She was attempting to go through the motions of her day, take care of the kids the best she could,” Musgrove said. “She said the school knows something is going on because I am not driving my car to pick the kids up.”
5. Lindsay Clancy expressed to her mother that the medication was "destroying her mind," as testified by Musgrove. Musgrove recounted an incident from December 2022 when she was in the Clancy's kitchen, during which Lindsay Clancy made a remark to both her and Patrick Clancy.

"I remember her being very nervous. I remember her saying, 'I just have to tell you guys something,' And then she told us. She told us that she had thoughts of harming the children," Musgrove said.

Lindsay Clancy trial

Clancy is facing trial for the murder of her children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan, who were strangled to death in 2023. She also jumped from a second-floor window of the family's residence in Duxbury, resulting in partial paralysis.

She has entered a plea of not guilty, with the case focusing on Clancy's mental health. The defense admits that she was responsible for the children's deaths but intends to argue that she was not criminally liable due to experiencing postpartum psychosis.

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